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This year's Australian Open could have been named the Cyprus Open! Marcos Baghdatis hit the headlines during the first major of the season and expect to do the same when Roland Garros starts on Sunday.

What an odyssey it was for this latter-day Greek-blooded wanderer named Marcos Baghdatis, a journey filled with dangers and pitfalls that made up the Australian Open.

A no-name from tiny Cyprus when the fortnight began, a 400-to-1 shot, 20-year-old Marcos made the tournament go round. Gate-crashing only the second final of his in-and-out career, he jammed-up and removed three of the prominent hazards lurking along his cosmopolitan route: No. 3 Andy Roddick, an American; No. 4 David Nalbandian, an Argentine; No. 7 Ivan Ljubicic, a Croat.

No Paris Miracle

Can he do the same in Paris? Perhaps in the early rounds , but reaching the final seems unlikely.

It would be very surprising to see Baghdatis reach the final again, even if he will have all the support of the French crowd behind him since he's been a French resident:

"It was during the « Little Guys » (Petits As) tournament in Tarbes, France that my agent put me in contact with Patrick Mouratoglou, the director of the first high level tennis academy in Europe.

After a number of phone converstions with Patrick and a first visit to the center in the Paris suburb of Montreuil, my parents signed a contract for me with the academy."

Expect Baghdatis to delight the crowd again and make new headlines, however never forget that he is not a clay court specialist. As a matter of fact, he's won one match on clay this season, but was beaten by Andy Roddick in the second round of the Rome Masters, the only clay tournament he played before Roland Garros.

Baghdatis' mind will allow him to win a few matches in Paris as he reckons:

"In Paris I'm almost at home , so I don't have any pressure. I expect to battle and try to win some games and some experience on the clay."

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AdvertisementRemember Marcos Baghdatis? The bearded tennis buccaneer who came from nowhere to make the final of the Australian Open last January?

He was the swashbuckling Cypriot who played without fear. He had time for his fans and the media and seemed to wear a 24-hour smile. His unbridled enthusiasm whipped the local Cypriot community into a frenzy and he created a worldwide stir as he took world No. 1 Roger Federer to the brink. The Age dubbed him "everybody's mate".

Baghdatis brought the fun back to tennis with his devil-may-care attitude and searing groundstrokes.

That was then. Now, Baghdatis is fighting a virus and poor form as he prepares for this year's second grand slam tournament, the French Open, which starts at Roland Garros in Paris on May 29.

He had to quit his first-round match in last week's Hamburg Masters when a set and a break down to Radek Stepanek.

That loss followed his second-round exit against Andy Roddick a week earlier in the Rome Masters.

"I saw a doctor," he said after complaining of breathing difficulties in Hamburg. "I was sick, but I was feeling better the last two days. The two days I came here, I practised well, but when I went to practice, I was feeling really bad, dizzy, pain in the stomach, it was a weird feeling . . . Going in the match, I felt the same thing."

Baghdatis immediately headed back to his training base in France. He is not expected to play this week and wasn't keen to talk to anyone about his ambitions for Roland Garros.

Through his media spokeswoman Kristel Meyer, he said he was "sick and want to rest in order to prepare myself for the French Open".

Such a siege mentality would not appear to bode well for his chances on the slow red clay, on which he lost in the first round last year.

"My main long-term objective is to win at least one grand slam tournament," Baghdatis has said. Baghdatis is ranked 19th in the world and has won more matches already this year than any other complete year since he turned professional. He's simply discovering that expectations and demands are very different when you're a grand slam finalist.

PARIS, June 1 (Reuters) - Australian Open finalist Marcos Baghdatis was utterly disconsolate after suffering a surprise second round defeat at the French Open on Thursday.

Five months ago in Melbourne Baghdatis was hailed as a national hero when he became the first player from Cyprus to reach a grand slam final.

On Thursday, in the damp and cold at Roland Garros, the usually bright-eyed 20-year-old was inconsolable after losing to Frenchman Julien Benneteau 3-6 6-4 6-3 6-7 6-4.

"It's been tough for me after Australia, a lot of questions in my head, a lot of doubts," said Baghdatis, the 19th seed. "It's not so easy. I think I need some time. I need some experience to find my way through." Baghdatis trains in Paris and admitted he was struggling to deal with the new level of expectation since his exploits in Australia, when he eventually lost in the final to Roger Federer.

Injury and illness have played their part in disrupting his progress since then but Baghdatis said the biggest problems were in his head.

"Everybody's expecting me to play well, so it's tougher," he added. "Every time I go into a tournament, I feel good physically, tennistically. It's just mentally I have some doubts in my head, and that's all.

"I had a head full of big questions. I didn't feel well. I didn't dare. It didn't really work out. But this sort of thing happens."

Baghdatis saved two match points in the fourth set to force a decider against world number 95 Benneteau but it only delayed defeat.

"At 2-5 in the fourth set, I started playing a bit. In the fifth set at 2-2 I'm not sure what happened. I started to think. I started to doubt. I made stupid mistakes.

"I'm not really in the match. I'm not looking at the ball. I'm thinking about what people think, what people will say. I don't feel at ease."

Yes, Baggy is going through adjustment problems being a Nobody from Nowhere w/World Class talent... . If he needs help emotionally, I hope those around him insure that he gets it. In the meantime lets hope that the Aussi Baggy shows up in time for late Wimby fun. If he does, he could make the Final...Hewitt's off form & not playing w/confidence & RN hasn't played anyone who has won a grass court match in the last 2 yrs...It's yours to lose, Baggy

This just in from Australian Press:

Hewitt wary of Cypriot cyclone

[I}From Valkerie Mangnall in London
July 4, 2006

LLEYTON Hewitt says he and the rest of the Wimbledon men's draw, if they know what's good for them, have heeded the warning issued by Australian Open runner-up Marcos Baghdatis.

Hewitt, the No.6 seed at Wimbledon, will meet the 21-year-old from Cyprus for the first time in the quarter-finals at the All England Club on Wednesday.

"Everyone's been put on notice of the kind of talent and flair he possesses out there when he plays his best," Hewitt said of Baghdatis, who lost the Australian Open final to world No.1 Roger Federer in four sets in January after a fairytale run to the Melbourne Park final.

"He's capable of producing those big shots when he wants to . . . that's obviously something that he did extremely well in Melbourne for two weeks. "He came through in a lot of tough situations . . . that's something I've got to be wary of."

On his only previous visit to Wimbledon, Baghdatis lost in the first round last year but he has clearly stepped up since then.

Baghdatis's best was in evidence this morning (AEST), when he swept aside Briton Andy Murray 6-3 6-4 7-6 (7-2) in a fourth-round match lasting 1hr 53min, two days after Murray had eliminated two-time finalist Andy Roddick.

Hewitt, the 2002 Wimbledon champion, had a tougher time in the round of 16, taking 2hr 49min to dispose of Spain's David Ferrer 6-4 6-4 4-6 7-5 in a tense match.

The South Australian admits his beloved AFL team, ladder leader Adelaide, is "doing it easier" than he is right now.

"So far, I'm still here," Hewitt said with a circumspect tone after his win. "Ferrer didn't let me play my best tennis but I had to find a way to win. "I want to try and step it up, though, a couple of notches against Baghdatis."

Hewitt watched the end of Baghdatis's match with Murray and saw similarities between them. "He is similar to Murray in many ways," Hewitt said. "He'll play the percentages for a bit and then just pull the trigger on a big one."

With world No.9 Hewitt in front of him, Baghdatis refused to entertain thoughts of a re-match against Federer in the final.

"After Melbourne, I had a lot of doubts in my head," the affable 21-year-old, ranked No.16 in the world, said. "Was I there because I deserved it or because it was just one time?"

Baghdatis's confidence crisis was exacerbated by injury and illness, but there was no hint of any problems during his win over Murray in front of a partisan British crowd on Centre Court. "I just love playing in front of a big crowd, and I just relax more when there is so many people watching than when there are not," Baghdatis said.

He may lack Hewitt's grass-court experience but Baghdatis has a secret weapon at Wimbledon he did not have at the Australian Open: a mother who spends her time in the players' box praying on behalf of her son.

"It means a lot to have her here watching me because she did not see so much of me when I was a kid,' Baghdatis, who left Cyprus as a 13-year-old to pursue his tennis apprenticeship in France, said.

"She's proud of her son and I feel proud of her also. And she prays, she prays a lot."

Baghdatis's best grand slam performance to date in Melbourne propelled him into the spotlight back home. "I'm a famous guy now in my country and maybe worldwide, so a lot of responsibilities to take," he said. "It's not like you don't have a personal life, but you cannot do what you want to do sometimes because of people watching."

Fame and the ability to perform on the big stage aside, perhaps the key to Baghdatis's success lies in his level-headed approach.

"For me, it's just a game," Baghdatis said. "I'm very happy to play this game because I love this game. "If I lose this game, it doesn't matter for me. There are things more important in life than this."

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: I don't know. Maybe he was not so much in the game today, in the match.

Q. How well do you think you played? Did you play as well as you hoped you would play?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: I mean, most important thing is not to play well, is to win the match. I'm pretty happy I won the match, first of all.

Q. You seem to have come a long way since your first round match. What are you doing so much better now?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Why?

Q. Yeah.

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Like I said before, the most important thing is not to play good, is to win the match. In the beginning of the tournament, the first round is so tough, you know. You just go on the court, you don't know how you feel, you don't feel the court so well, you don't feel the balls, you don't feel a lot of things. So winning against MacKin in the first round helped me a lot after, trying to find my tennis. That's what I did, I tried to stay calm, focused. I'm starting to find my tennis.

Q. You said you've been playing over and over in your mind the missed opportunities in the match on Melbourne. Are you playing in your mind a Sunday rematch against Federer?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: I'm not thinking about that really. I'm just thinking I have Hewitt in front of me, so I'm just thinking about Lleyton for now. If I go through Sunday, then we'll see. Federer, I think, has tough matches, and who knows what he will do or what I will do.

Q. How do you rate Lleyton Hewitt as an opponent?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Everybody, I rate them ten to ten. Everybody is a tough player. Everybody is playing good tennis. It's a matter of finding the solution to win.

Q. Even though the crowd was obviously for Andy Murray, did you enjoy the Centre Court?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Yeah, it was fun. First time on Centre Court at Wimbledon, I mean, it's always fun to have a first time and nice experience. So I'm pretty happy I won the match. That makes it even funner funnier.

Q. A lot of people in Australia who don't follow tennis that closely but got to know you in January have asked about what happened to that guy that made the final. How would you summarize the last four or five months?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: What happened to that guy? Nothing. He's the same guy. Nothing changed in me. I'm still the same guy. That's all.

Q. Results wise, how would you explain what you've done?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: It was not easy, you know. After Melbourne, I had a lot doubts in my head. Was I there because I deserved it or because it was just one time? A lot of things went through my mind. And like how I played Indian Wells, I played quarters, it was quite good. Then the doubt starts to come. Some injuries, some health problem. I got sick. So I started losing confidence. Since last week in Rosmalen, I played in s'Hertogenbosch, I played semis there, start to feel better on the court. Here I am today in quarters in Wimbledon. So I feel quite confident.

Q. Believing that you can do it again, that you have more finals in you?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Yeah, now I start to believe it more and more.

Q. Was it a much easier match today than you expected?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Not really. Okay, Andy didn't play good, but I had to play really good to win, I mean. I played a very, very good first set. Second set, I didn't start very well. Then I started playing good, then let him play. That was objective, not to let him play because he likes playing with the ball and moving you around. I didn't want to do that. I was playing really aggressive, and it paid off today.

Q. What do you think it is about the big tournaments and matches that seem to bring out the best tennis in you?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: I don't know. That's one of my maybe how you say? power or advantages. I just love playing in front of a big crowd, and I just relax more when there is so many people watching than when there are not.

Q. Tell us about the mood at home. Great expectations?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Sorry?

Q. Tell us about the mood at home. Are there great expectations?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Today?

Q. Generally.

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Yeah, people are waiting a lot for me. It's normal since Australia. But, I mean, nobody's putting pressure on me.

Q. You said you hadn't changed since Australia, but what has been the biggest change in your life since then?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: People around me. I mean, I'm a famous guy now in my country and maybe world wide. So a lot of responsibilities to take. I have it's not like you don't have a personal life, but you cannot do what you want to do sometimes because of people watching or speaking or anything.

Q. So has that been difficult for you?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: It's not easy, sure.

Q. What's an example? What's the weirdest thing that's happened to you in terms of back home or whatever?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Nothing.

Q. Just random acts of people coming up and doing strange things?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: No, nothing strange. But, I mean, if you have something on your finger, then, I don't know, "Why do you have that?" The press, the journalists, everything.

Q. What does it mean to you to have your mother here?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: My mother, yeah, it means a lot. She didn't follow me since I was a kid, so it's fun for her to be here and see some matches and playing see me playing in front of a in Wimbledon in the Centre Court. I mean, it's great for her. She's proud of her son, and I feel proud of her also.

Q. She prayed a lot during your match.

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: She does (smiling). She does pray a lot.

Q. Before you talked about how you feel you enjoy the big stage, you enjoy lots of people watching. I don't think we've ever seen you get really upset or lose your cool on a tennis court. Does it happen?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Of course, it does. But, I mean, tennis match is nothing for me, there's so many things more important than a tennis match in life. So there is nothing to worry about. I mean, it's just a game. For me, it's just a game. I'm very happy to play this game because I love this game. And if I lose this game, it doesn't matter for me. There are things more important in life than this.

Q. How come you understand that and there's about 10,000 other people in tennis who don't?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Ask them (smiling).

Q. Name one more important thing for you.

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Sorry?

Q. Name one more important thing to you.

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: What do you mean?

Q. You say there's more important things in life. What's one more important thing for you?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Health.

Q. How do you feel your game matches up with Hewitt? Do you feel you've got a game that could trouble him?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: I don't think a lot about my game. I just think to find the solution to win the match. That's all. So I think I'll go on the court and I'll start my game, just put the ball on the court and see how he plays and then find a solution.

Q. Do you study an opponent's game at all?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Not really.

Q. Have you seen any of his matches here?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Nope.

Q. So it's all about solving problems?

MARCOS BAGHDATIS: Yep, that's all about life. That's life's all about, no?